Water Supplementation in the NT

Water medication is by no means a new technology, but it has not been widely adopted amongst Northern Territory (NT) producers.

In 2021, 2 new Meat and Livestock Australia funded producer demonstration sites (PDS) were established by Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade staff, with the aim of determining whether supplementation via water medication can be successfully implemented on a commercial scale in the NT. At the Barkly and Katherine region sites, data from a mob supplemented via water is being compared against that from a mob supplemented as per the properties usual supplementation method.

Recently, Livestock Industries staff members Stacey Holzapfel, Jane Douglas and Georgia Glasson visited the 2 properties during their first-round muster. The cattle were weighed, body condition scored, lactation status recorded (wet/dry), and blood samples were collected for analysis of plasma inorganic phosphorus. GPS collars were also retrieved. The GPS data on cattle movements should indicate the utilisation of the water trough by cattle while there is surface water available throughout the paddock during the wet season.

Not only is production data being gathered, but the amount of supplement and labour hours going into each treatment is being tracked by the department’s livestock team. As more data is gathered, staff will then be able to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of using water medication systems, enabling NT producers to make more informed decisions on the adoption of this technology.